Mum has orange-sized tumour removed from her face - after being found on roadside

A mum-of-four had an orange-sized tumour removed from her jaw - after being spotted at the side of the road by surgeons passing through her village.

Marie Elisa, 45, had been living with the benign tumour for five years - despite it constantly growing - because she couldn't afford medical treatment.

The first signs of the tumour began in 2019, with a toothache which was treated with over-the-counter painkillers.

But it kept growing, until nearly the entire right side of her face was swollen - forcing her to stop farming, and leaving her family struggling financially.

Marie Elisa, from Berangotra, Madagascar, said: "The painkillers helped for a time. The swelling started, and it just kept getting bigger until it reached this point.

"I could no longer work in the fields or sell at the market.

"And my daughter had to stop school because I couldn't pay her fees."

Feeling desperate, Marie Elisa turned to non-medical healers for help - but the tumour continued to grow.

She saw a doctor, who recommended surgery to remove the mass from her face.

But she was unable to afford the surgery - which could have set her back hundreds of pounds, according to Mercy Ships.

In January 2024, a patient selection team from international health charity Mercy Ships had to make an unplanned detour to Marie Elisa's village in Madagascar, due to a cyclone in the north of the country.

By chance, they spotted Marie Elisa while driving through the local market.